Tarot and Dreams: Interpreting the Symbols of the Soul

The Language of Symbols Symbols are a silent and potent language which reaches our conscious awareness through the agency of subconsciousness, rising on wings of spirit from the deepest parts of our being as messengers from our soul. The common denominator of Tarot and dreams is transmission of knowledge and understanding through the agency of subconsciousness and the mechanism of pictorial symbolism. It is a natural marriage to combine Tarot and dreams to deepen and enhance the understanding of dream symbols and to expand our understanding of Tarot.

Dream Power Heeding messages in dreams has a history which stretches back in time at least five thousand years to ancient Egypt and Sumer. Three thousand years ago the authors of the Upanishads, Hindu sacred texts, described dreaming as a higher state of consciousness than the waking state. Dreams might be viewed as a one-way mirror, reflecting a deeper reality behind the seemingly mirrored wall of waking existence. Only by going behind the "mirror" can we perceive differently.

Australian Aborigines refer to "the Dreamtime," a sacred state when the soul journeys in the heavenly realms. Through concentration and breathing Aboriginal shamans claim to enter Dreamtime at will, performing consciously in this state while awake. Tibetans have a long tradition of valuing and working with symbolic dream messages. Chuang Tzu, a Taoist seer, wondered with Shakespeare, if "all life was but a dream." Assurbanipal, an Assyrian king from the seventh century B.C.E., considered dream elements to be like ciphers, symbols with distinct meaning.

Tutmosis IV of Ancient Egypt Beneath the paws of the Great Sphinx of Egypt is a stone monument called the stela of the dream. This relic is dated to the time of King Tutmosis IV, a New Kingdom Pharaoh who ruled nearly 2,500 years ago. The stela tells a fascinating story. When Tutmosis was a young boy the Sphinx was covered to its neck with sand. One day, in the heat of the desert afternoon, the young prince slept in the shadow of the huge head and had a riveting dream. The Sphinx spoke to Tutmosis in his dream saying, "Son, cast your eyes upon me. Can you see how long I have been neglected? Deliver me from the sands of ages, and I will crown you king of Upper and Lower Egypt."

Compelled by the voice in his dream, the prince awoke and ordered workers to free the massive statue from the tons of sand surrounding its enormous body. Tutmosis was soon crowned Pharaoh. He inscribed the stela of the dream and placed the stone between the leonine paws of the Great Sphinx where it remains today.

Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors After his brothers sold him into slavery Joseph ended up in Pharaoh's jail where he established a reputation for interpreting dreams. One night Pharaoh dreamed of seven fat cows entering the Nile, emerging as seven lean cows. Joseph interpreted the dream as a warning that seven years of plenty would be followed by seven years of famine, and counseled the king to take heed and fill the larders (Genesis 41:17-27). The Pharaoh followed Joseph's advice, and Joseph rose to the important position of advisor to pharaoh and became perhaps the most famous interpreter of dreams.

Flight into Egypt Another well-known Joseph, Mary's husband and the earthly father of Jesus, received a dream message, warning of danger to his family. He listened to the angel's nighttime summons (Matthew 2:13), fled to Egypt with his family, and saved Jesus from almost certain death at the hands of Herod's bloody executioners.

Dream Oracles Delphi in Greece is believed to have been a place where wise Sybils assisted seekers who came to sleep, perchance to dream, at the Oracle temple. Searchers were instructed how to facilitate a powerful dream through rites of purification, including bathing, special diet, and most importantly, asking for the dream.

Tarot and Dreams Using Tarot images and dream symbols together seems to open a dialog between the conscious and subconscious mind that is normally closed, creating a powerful synergy. After decades of exploring this combined way of working with the symbols, I believe reading Tarot to interpret dreams engages dream consciousness in the waking state. In a sense, we step through a portal, or gate, which is generally veiled between these two "worlds," standing in both simultaneously. This may be akin to what Australian Aborigine shamans do in Dreamtime. Subsequent scientific research may show a relationship in brain wave patterns which explains this.

Tarot seems to act as a linking mechanism, revealing relationships between dreams and personality level issues, and enabling us to see patterns of self-defeating behavior which were previously unclear. Working with the symbols in this combined manner, clients have reported breakthroughs in the release of lifetime limiting patterns which seem magical and alchemical.

Types of Dreams: Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Mental dreams generally reflect the processing of actual experiences of the day and the thoughts and feelings we have in response to these events. They function like a daily "data download," routing and processing information before it is sorted and stored in memory. Physical dreams often address health issues or imbalances which reveal themselves in dream symbols. Health or medical dreams can function as early warning systems if recognized for what they are. Death dreams sometimes appear as health warnings which are intended to "frighten" us into paying our attention. Sometimes called "big dreams," spiritual dreams are believed to be messages from our soul to our conscious mind. The "big dream" deals with spiritual guidance, contact with our Higher Selves, and has the intent of gaining knowledge and power.

Dream Work Evidence suggests that most dream activity occurs in the final hour of sleep, basically summarizing the night's work, so planning for adequate rest is essential. Some research has shown that B vitamins play a role in memory storage and dream recall so increasing our intake of these nutrients may improve retention.

Keep paper, pen and a small flashlight by the side of the bed. If you wake during the night with a dream in your mind capture the key symbols immediately; even a few words can trigger your memory in the morning to recall the complete dream. Some dreamers find it useful to speak into a tape recorder during the night rather than using pen and paper.

The most fundamental tools for working with dreams are pen and paper and perhaps some index cards. Date and record the dream in detail in an on-going dream journal as soon as possible. Most people overlook the importance of this step, believing they will remember the key elements of a dream. It is vital to record a dream while it is fresh in your mind. As history demonstrated in the case of the amazing poem "Kubla Khan"; Coleridge transcribed word for word what he remembered upon awakening , but an interruption after fifty-four lines cost the world the rest of the poem.

Dream Journal and Personal Symbol Dictionary Start immediately to record, track and enter your own personal symbols in your Dream Dictionary. Creating an ongoing dream journal, and making the process enjoyable, is a potent message to your subconsciousness that you're listening. Decorating the journal with pictures, sketches, or images that serve to illustrate the dream can help evoke meaning from dream symbols.

Interpreting Symbols Interpret your first intuitive sense. Note your primary emotions and first impressions. Look for any patterns or recurring symbols. Is the dream portraying a theme which repeats in your dreams? Look also for puns, word plays and humor. Our subconscious loves to teach us through humor. Learning to laugh at our foibles is strong medicine for the evolving self.

If you get stuck use a regular dictionary or an encyclopedia to learn the traditional meaning. This may trigger an insight of how you're using the symbol in your dream as a message. For example you may dream of a bed, and your subconscious may be using this as a symbol, through a play on words, for a situation in your waking life where "you've made your own bed." Perhaps you dream of a church bell, and there is something in your life which just doesn't "ring true."

Critical Dream Elements Note setting, plot, lighting, characters, time of day, feelings, colors, numbers, clothing and time period in history. Your higher self is setting the stage, writing the plot, and casting the characters. Pay attention to these details; each may be a clue. Investigate all the hints and images, including animals, buildings, houses, objects, actions, roads, paths, weather, season. Identify the overall tone: harmonious, mischievous, dangerous. What emotion did you feel when you woke?

Tarot and Dream Spreads A powerful alchemy results from using tarot to interpret dreams. Clients have reported life-changing insights as a result of using Tarot with their dreams. The following Tarot spreads were developed specifically to work with dreams and are a portion of those which will appear in TAROT AND DREAMS. Sample interpretations are included here, showing the power of using Tarot with dreams.

These spreads are meant to stimulate your creativity and hopefully inspire you to further exploration. Please create additional spreads that evoke your intuition or use others with which you're already familiar. Always record your reflections and intuitions in your dream journal. Remember to add any new symbols and insights to your Personal Symbol Dictionary.

Sample Tarot and Dream Spread Interpretations1. Overall guidance - three-card spread The overall guidance spread is helpful where the dreamer feels a sense of urgency and perceives a need to take some action following a dream. This is also a helpful spread when guidance is sought on any issue. This spread is laid out left to right. The first card represents the overall influence, the second card is the suggested action and the final card is the result or outcome.

Dream Title: Castle on a Hill A pale rider gallops across a forbidding landscape on a thin, white horse. Dark clouds lay like strips across a gray sky. The rider is a woman, wearing a flowing, white gown, which blows in the wake of the galloping horse. In the distance, high on a rocky cliff, the turrets of a tall castle loom against a darkening sky.

The woman seems bent on an urgent mission, and she urges her horse on toward the castle. She hears hoof beats behind her and fears she is being pursued. Lightning strikes on the horizon, and for a moment, the whole landscape is illuminated and then plunged into gathering gloom.

Example of recording dream It's helpful to list symbols separately and interpret them just like the words of a foreign language. Symbols are the "nouns" in our dreams, the people (and animals), places and things. What are they doing? When people appear as symbols, list three descriptors or qualities which come directly to mind. How might the "character" in the dream play be you in disguise or costume? Symbols, images, and other people in the dream usually represent aspects of ourselves.

Dream Title: Castle on a Hill

Symbols

A pale rider gallops across a forbidding landscape on a white horse. Dark clouds lay like strips across a gray sky. The rider is a woman, wearing a flowing, white gown, blowing in the wake of the galloping horse. In the distance, high on a rocky cliff, the turrets of a tall castle loom against a darkening sky.

Dream symbol interpretation: This first dream symbols are almost Biblical in their expression like one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. The dreamer is carried by a white horse, usually a symbol of the instinctual nature, across a daunting terrain. The white horse is an indication that the dreamer should follow his instincts. The rider is female, suggesting that the male dreamer should listen to his feminine nature and intuition. The galloping horse implies that things are moving quickly in the situation, and the dreamer should take heed. The dreamer should note if he feels in charge of the horse or swept away by the experience. The turreted castle on a high promontory might indicate the dreamer has become disconnected from his feelings and true awareness of circumstances. Lightning suggests he is about to receive a dramatic wake-up call.

Tarot symbol interpretation: Optional Significator Card -- The Tower

Card One

Card Two

Card Three

The overall influence

Suggested Action

Result/Outcome

Ten of Cups

Six Swords

Page of Swords

Card One, the Overall influence: Ten of Cups The ten of Cups as the overall influence indicates that contentment, or need for material security, may have made the dreamer soft and too yielding to another person. The lightning flash of awakening reveals a new landscape of potential. Ask what needs to faced? What fears or needs keep you bound?

Card Two, suggested action: Six of Swords The six of Swords is in the place of Suggested Action. Perhaps the dreamer needs to shake off complacency and inappropriate compromise. It may be advisable to move out of the current situation and move into calmer waters, leaving troubled waters behind.

Card Three, outcome or result, Page of Swords

The Result or Outcome is the Page of Swords, indicating that a spiritual quest will reveal what is truly important in life. It's time for a new adventure which may unveil dimensions of the dreamer's self which are barely glimpsed.

Synthesis The Tower was chosen as a significator for this dream because of the central image of the lightning bolt in Tarot card XVI and the dream. This card lends an overall meaning of awakening from a period of self-imposed bondage. As a Major Arcana the Tower brings archetypal energies to bear on the dream's analysis.

The Tower invites the dreamer, in this case a young man in waking reality, to break out of his chains and choose a different way of responding to the influences in his life. The dreamer might ask himself, "What have I been blind to? Where am I not seeing the truth of the situation? In what way have I kept myself in the dark?

The young man reported a new awareness and increased ability to act on his situation. He was open to truthfully looking at his situation no matter how painful. The central image of lightning in his dream, and the Tower in his reading, enabled him to see that he had been in denial in his relationship. He longed for the idyllic scene depicted in the Ten of Cups but when he became honest with himself he saw that was not possible with the woman in his life. Prior to Tarot work with the dream he had held fast to his ideal vision, feeling unable to see the truth of things.

The Six of Swords showed him the necessity of leaving the current state of affairs and gave him courage to act on his new-found awareness. The castle as the destination in the dream encouraged him to hope for ultimate happiness in a relationship.

The strong action depicted by the Page of Swords further strengthened his resolve his to move forward in his life, seeking what he really desired. The dreamer claimed his feelings on the horse had been powerful in the dream and showed promise that he could connect with an ideal female companion. He chose to terminate the relationship and focus on himself and healing.

2. Two card spread: The Gift The first card shows what the central issue of the dream (or reading) is. The lesson card may seem contradictory or paradoxical at first. Allow time to meditate on how the pain of the lesson can be turned around and seen as a gift, or a blessing in disguise. Look for the pearl of transformation hidden in the experience. The second card reveals the lesson, gift or silver lining in the situation.

Dream title: Nighttime visitation (A prophetic dream) Note: The following dream sequence occurred over a matter of several years. The woman was haunted for years by these dream experiences and what they might mean. I believe this illustrates how a recurring dream may be the soul's attempt to change a point of view or transform a mind set over time.

A young, married woman dreamed of a terrible fatal accident. In the dream, her first husband rises from a mangled car and appears in front of her. She woke around 1 AM, feeling frightened and alarmed; the shocking images staying in her mind. Early the next morning the dreamer received a phone call, informing her that the young man had indeed been killed in a fatal car crash at the time of her dream.

Although the young woman viewed her first marriage as a painful mistake which had ended in betrayal, she was deeply saddened by his sudden death.

Dream title: Stairway to the light Several months after that dream, the deceased young man began appearing regularly in her dreams. Sometimes these dreams recreated incidents from their relationship and caused emotional pain, but at other times his presence seemed to serve as a warning or prelude to something in her waking life. These periodic appearances spanned several years.

Finally one night the woman dreamed she saw the young man on a spiral staircase, waving to her. Brilliant white light shone out of a doorway at the top of the spiral stairs. The man waved goodbye, communicated she would not see him again, and ascended the stairs, disappearing into the light. She never dreamed of him again, but still carried some emotional scars from the relationship.

Dream interpretation This series of dreams falls into the category of unusual communication or messages from dreams. These dreams seem to be actual experiences rather than typical symbolic messages. The woman was haunted by these experiences and sought a deeper understanding. We chose to do a two-card spread, asking about the core message and the lesson or gift which might be contained in the experiences and their symbols.

Tarot interpretation of The Gift spread

The core issue The lesson or gift

Queen of Swords XIII Death

The Queen of Swords is the Mother of Air, ruling by the power of the mind and the cold, clear abstract quality of reason. She is often described as a widow, but a woman who can bear her sorrow. The Queen of Swords is a strong woman who has steeled herself to the pain life can bring and now uses her wisdom and experience to help others. The Queen shows that the young woman dealt with her pain by living in her mind and closing her heart.

Death is the fundamental symbol of change and the transitory nature of physical forms. In the context of this dream and reading the message might well be, "This too shall pass." The young woman went on to marry again, have children, and heal from the pain of her early marriage. The gift was the transforming change that time brought.

Synthesis Using Tarot with these dreams allowed her to work through the choices and emotional consequences of the early relationship. The woman expressed shame that she hadn't been strong enough to refuse his proposal of marriage. She felt her decision to marry was driven by passion, and she felt unable to act in her own best interest. She said her friends and family saw the true dynamic of the relationship but supported her choice.

Perhaps the first husband chose, or was compelled, to linger to reduce some karma from his part in causing the woman pain. After the dream interpretation and the Tarot reading the woman felt relief, forgiveness and deepened understanding. She realized the pain inflicted by her choices and the subsequent betrayal had caused her to close off her vulnerability because the residual pain was buried inside and unacknowledged. Using Tarot and dreams together this woman was able to accept the healing potential in her experiences and break through decades of resistance and she was finally freed from her lingering pain.

3. Significator Spread - Dominant image(s) - One to Four cards

Choose one or more dream symbols, then select a significator card, or up to four for striking symbols, and meditate on the card(s) chosen. After this, using one of the cards as a reading significator, perform another of the suggested spreads.

Two-card significator spread, multiple significators The following dream was interesting to me since Tarot cards actually appeared as symbols in the dream. I chose two Tarot cards from the dream for the Tarot spread.

Dream title: The Intruder/Stalker A man who has been stalking me gets into my house while I am away. He ransacks the house, and as his "calling card," leaves two of my Crowley Tarot cards pinned to my burgundy bedroom curtains: the Death card and one of the Swords...like 7, 8 or 9. He places the cards in the shape of a cross, the Death was vertical and the swords on top of it, horizontally placed and intersecting it.

I am having a hard time phoning for police help. There seems to be much chaos and lack of cooperation from the "others" around the neighborhood. No one seems very concerned about this invasion and my terror but me. And then Brugh Joy walks in, with a hat on, and wearing a lot of red. He approaches me and kneels down and embraces me, offering comfort and safety. He asks if he can stay with me. I feel so much better!

Dream interpretation Masculine energy forcibly "intrudes" into the house or "consciousness" of the female dreamer. The man had been "stalking" her, suggesting that integrated maleness was not a part of her awareness, or perhaps masculinity and relationships were perceived as a threat. The stalker "ransacked " the house, completely destroying the feminine order she had so carefully created and guarded. The man left a "calling card" in the form of a cross made of two Tarot cards.

The woman tried to phone police, (authority figures) for help and had trouble. This could mean that traditional answers will be of little value.

In the end Brugh Joy, a well-known healer and dream symbol interpreter, known for working with shadow or dark-side issues, arrives to comfort her. He is wearing a hat, symbolically cloaking conscious thoughts, and dressed in lots of red, the quintessential male color. (I felt the hat to be an important clue since articles which cover the head generally indicate concealing or covering conscious thoughts in the matter. The dreamer could not recall any details about the hat such as color or description which might have revealed what kind of concealment was occurring).

I believe the thrust of this dream suggests that the woman is struggling to integrate the masculine and feminine aspects of her own nature, believing that these archetypal energies are at odds with one another. The dream's threat comes from an unknown stalker who is clever enough to send a powerful symbolic message. Her rescue arrives in the form of someone she trusts and respects who is dressed in red. In the end, the solution to the crisis comes from the very masculinity she fears.

Tarot Interpretation Since Tarot cards appeared as symbols in the dream, I decided to work with these cards for the dream spread. I placed the Death card in a horizontal position and chose the eight of Swords, a woman blindfolded and tied, surrounded by swords, as the crossing card. Tarot cards were dominant images in the dream.

First image Second image Death Eight of Swords

In a reading the Death card signals that a profound change is called for or is in process. To the dreamer, allowing alien masculine energy into her consciousness may be akin to a kind of death. This symbolic intruder may herald a complete change or "death" to her familiar way of life. Certainly a dramatic shift is indicated, a fundamental realignment in the way she views herself and "others" seems to be called for.

The eight of Swords shows someone who has been chained by their choices and circumstance but who is actually able to move out of the situation of bondage if they choose. They remain imprisoned by their own consent. What is required is removing the bonds and the blindfold and seeing the truth of the situation.

Probing the nature of the terror and sense of violation symbolized by the "stalker" is important. What is the dreamer so afraid to face that she blinds herself or wears a hat to hide her true thoughts? Perhaps she fears that her sense of identity, who she believes she is (or is not), would cease to exist if she faced the aggressive, male energy who violated her symbology sanctuary.

Synthesis: In her waking life the dreamer was working with issues of relationship and how her expectations had effectively created a barrier to intimacy. She both feared and desired an intimate relationship with a male partner. She had created a cocoon-like sanctuary in her home where she felt safe and protected, but she was lonely and unfulfilled. Part of her longed for a partnership, but another part didn't want her sanctuary (or control) violated.

Working with Tarot and the dream symbols she realized that she was her own worst enemy, creating her own imprisonment. She was able to bring awareness to a conscious level that she couldn't have things both ways. In order to experience an honest, intimate relationship she would have to become vulnerable and trusting. She accepted the paradox that her comfort in the dream had come from archetypal masculine energy. The dreamer reported that this process melted some of her self-imposed barriers.

4. Four Seasons Spread dream I had this dream while writing TAROT AND DREAMS. I had already written the interpretations for the Tarot cards, so I used the book exactly as I had written it, and as I hoped readers would do, to interpret the following dream.

Dream Title: Four Seasons Beginning: I awoke in the predawn hours, around 3:30 AM, realizing I had been given a new Tarot spread. I called it Four Seasons. The spread consists of five cards, one in the center, and four laid out and interpreted like the qualities of the seasons. When I woke this gift felt very significant to me.

Middle: I am sitting on a beautiful hillside in the mountains. It is late afternoon on a glorious fall day. I am alone, sitting on a blanket, casting the four seasons spread. Brilliant sunlight filters through Ponderosa pines. I realize it is 5 PM, and I have a long hike to my horse before the sun goes down (dusk or dark). I gather my cards and blanket. Baron (my dog), is now with me as we prepare for the walk down the hillside. I feel full and overflowing with a sense of gratitude as I easily climb down the hill in plenty of time.

End: I am in my childhood bedroom. The twin beds my sister and I slept in are in the room, and I feel my mother's presence. I watch my new granddaughter, as she sleeps. I feel total bliss. As she starts to wake she rolls over and then sits up. I am amazed that she can do this at only three months of age. I carry her into the kitchen and say to my husband how grateful I am to have the gift of this baby. I take her back into the bedroom to change her diaper and dress her. Her mother, my daughter, there. She takes the baby a moment, smiling with her own joy. My granddaughter turns to me, giggles and gives me a big, wet kiss on the mouth. All of her actions are beyond normal capacities for a three month old baby. I wake feeling tremendous joy and gratitude.

Interpreting the dream symbols Beginning: New Tarot spread suggests the need or opportunity for a new outlook or "interpretation" of circumstances. Five is the number of change, so five cards indicates a change is called for. The spread was a "gift" in the dream, given by what I felt was my Higher Self. Four seasons implies both the cyclic nature of events and a possible time frame.

Middle: The hillside in the mountains means to me that the obstacle in the project is less difficult than if I were climbing a mountain. The situation is beautiful and idyllic. Late afternoon suggests that the time elapsed is "three-quarters" spent. I notice in the dream that it is five o'clock in the afternoon. There are also five cards in the spread that was given. Therefore the number five is important. Five is the number of change and adaptation, hinting that a change of mind may be in order. (This was born out by the subsequent Tarot reading).

I gathered my blanket and cards, and joined by my dog, Baron, (I feel responsible for him), and hiked down the hill to join my horse. I do not have a horse, but to me this represents independence and carries the meaning of a magical steed. I arrived with ease and in plenty of time. My feelings were joy and gratitude. I interpreted this to mean I would finish the manuscript on time if I paid close attention to timing and focus and remained responsible.

End: Being in my childhood bedroom with my infant granddaughter, and in the presence of my mother and oldest daughter, signified to me that the young and developing project (the book manuscript), symbolized by my granddaughter, was thriving and proceeding beyond normal expectations. The kiss from my granddaughter suggests that this project will "breathe new life" into my work. Throughout the dream, and when I woke, I experienced intense joy and gratitude.

Tarot symbol interpretation Later that day I shuffled a deck of Tarot cards, laying out the Four Seasons spread, asking for further insight or deeper meaning for this wonderful dream. The cards which appeared in the reading were:

1. Center - where you stand - the issue Three of Pentacles Meanings are material works and the master craftsman is recognized.

2. South - what's hidden and needs to be acknowledged Queen of Cups Receptivity and the positive direction of energy. Stay focused!

3. West - what needs to be released Four of Swords A balanced mind. A period of rest and retreat.

4. North - what needs to be achieved The Tower Awakening and release from a stagnant condition.

5. East - what's needs to be birthed Nine of Wands reversed Don't view everything as a battle; stop fighting circumstances. Get ready for a change.

Synthesis of Dream and Tarot Symbols When I compared the cards in the reading with the symbols of the dream my understanding of the message was deepened and intensified. I felt the reading's outcome, the Nine of Wands reversed in the East, actually related to the beginning of the dream where I was given the "gift" of a new interpretation. I sensed I was being given a "heads up" where coming circumstances were concerned and that my attitude was vital. I have the choice to "change my mind" and view events as an exciting challenge rather than a stressful battleground.

The three of Pentacles in the center was a heart-warming beacon of hope that the work would be well received. The Queen of Cups in the South indicated the vital importance of focus and proper direction of energy. Care should be taken to stay on target and not waste time.

The Four of Swords in the West seemed to indicate that a quiet period of seclusion and solitary writing life might be nearing an end. The Tower in the North spoke powerfully of seeing things as they really are and preparing for a new vision of the lay of the land.

This dream and subsequent Four Seasons Tarot spread resulted in a new way of looking at work and powerfully demonstrated the role of our attitudes. As a Capricorn with a finely honed sense of duty and responsibility I had a choice. Rather than seeing projects and work as mountains to be climbed, or obstacles to be overcome, the alternative is to embrace the activity joyfully. The process was healing and therapeutic.

Other Tarot and dream suggestions Use more than one deck of Tarot cards to work with your dreams. One set of cards should be clear in conveying the archetypal symbols and images. Additional decks, including whimsical, artistic or unusual interpretations of the Tarot, can be used for dream spreads.

A Deck of Dreams Collect images that strike you from photographs, greeting cards, magazines and catalogs. Cut and paste them onto colored construction paper or poster paper and assemble your own Tarot deck. By "bridging" the dream images into the waking dimension you strengthen you intuition. These images can be used to create your own personal Tarot deck, literally a "deck of dreams" to be used for personal and individual interpretation. (These cannot be reproduced for other than your personal individual use). Draw the dream, or make a collage or a dream mosaic, using your collection of images.

Personal Dream Glossary Because dreams contain both universal and individual symbols, a personal dream symbol index is an invaluable tool. Your Dream Dictionary can be accumulated in a spiral or loose leaf binder, in an index card file, or as a computer file: convenience, accessibility and ease of adding entries in alphabetical order is the key. Make your personal symbol guide a resource you add to and draw on frequently. Decorate your Dream Dictionary with pictures, drawings and images. Later you can incorporate the material in your personal dictionary onto your own Tarot card for your deck of dreams.

Using Tarot symbols and interpretations of cards to deepen both dream analysis and Tarot work will be covered in the next sections of the book. Tarot should never be a replacement for good judgment, abdication of responsibility, or reduced to a parlor game. We seek the counsel of the Higher Self where we need a broader perspective and a grander view and have exhausted our human resources. Toward that end, Tarot and Dreams will give an overview of Tarot' structure and symbols and interpretations which are tailored toward working with dreams.

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